Article carrying attachments for crutches



u 9, 1956 D. J. BARNWELL ARTICLE CARRYING ATTACHMENTS FOR CRUTCHES Filed Nov. 9, 1954 INVENTOR OO/FOWYJfiflKA/H/ELL,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent ARTICLE CARRYING ATTACHMENTS FOR CRUTCHES' Dorothy J. Barnwell, Orangeburg, S. C.

Application November 9, 1954, Serial No. 467,783

Claims. (Cl. 135-47) This invention relates to crutches, and more particularly to an article-carrying attachment for crutches of the type which includes a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross-piece and by a hand grip.

An object of the invention is to provide an article carrier which may be readily applied to and detached from crutches of different sizes.

Another object is to devise an article carrier comprising a receptacle, and means for mounting the receptacle on a crutch, no part of such mounting means being fixed to the crutch, but all parts being secured to the receptacle and detachable therewith from the crutch, without the use of tools.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an article carrier of the above character which shall be rugged and durable, and at the same time simple in construction and capable of being manufacture at low cost.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a conventional crutch with my improved article-carrier attached thereto,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier itself as it appears When detached from the crutch,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section through the crutch hand grip and carrier and,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a slightly modified construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail the conventional crutch illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises the rods A connected at their upper ends by the usual cross-piece B and adjacent the middle by the usual hand grip C.

The carrier comprises a suitable container or receptacle 1 shown in broken lines. This may be of any desired shape and material. It may be in the nature of a basket or a box or a pouch, as desired. The particular construction of this receptacle forms no part of the invention.

The means for attaching the receptacle to the crutch are secured directly to one side of the receptacle. As shown these means comprise a pair of rigid bars 2 and 3 fixed to the receptacle by any suitable fastening means such as bolts 4. These bars are substantially horizontal and spaced vertically apart, one being located near the top and the other near the bottom of the receptacle.

To the top bar 2 is secured a U-shaped member 5, as by welding, the free ends of the arms of this member terminating in hooks 6. These hooks 6 are adapted to engage over the hand grip C as shown in Fig. 1.

To the bottom bar 3 is secured a U-shaped member 7 having upwardly extending arms terminating at their upper ends in hooks 8 adapted to engage around or embrace the rods A of the crutch as shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted that these arms and hooks are so constructed that the hooks extend from the outside of the rods inwardly toward each other. It will be further noted that these 2,750,951 Patented: June; 19-, 1956 hooks do notencircle the rods but are relatively. short so that sufficient clearance is provided between thev ends of the hooks and. the wall-of the receptacle to permitzthe crutch rods to pass through, as hereinafter explained.

The members 5 and 7, including the arms andhooks, may be formed of: anysuitable stiif material, either. metal or plastic, but I have'found stiff. steel wireto'be'particula-rly suitable. This wire is-more or". less resilientrso that the arms may bend slightly as required.

In attaching the receptacle or carrier to the crutch, the small end of the crutch is inserted between the hooks 8 so that the carrier can then be pulled upwardly until the hooks 8 securely grip the rods and until the books 6 can be engaged over the hand grip C. It will be understood that these hooks 6 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the length of the hand grip, so as not to interfere with the hand of the user.

When it is desired to remove the carrier from the crutch, the hooks 6 are first disengaged from the hand grip and the carrier then pushed downwardly along the crutch until the converging rods pass out from under the hooks 8 through the space between the ends of such books and the wall of the receptacle.

It will be particularly noted that no part of the mounting or attaching means is fixed to the crutch itself but that all parts are carried by the receptacle. Thus, when the receptacle or carrier is removed from the crutch, the crutch is entirely clear and unobstructed.

Instead of forming the hooks 8 at the ends of the arms of a U-shaped member, I may form them at the end of separate arms 9 as shown in Fig. 4, these arms 9 being welded to the bar 3 as at 11. The lower ends of the arms 9 are then formed into laterally directed hooks 10, adapted to engage the rods A at a point separated from and below the hooks 8. In this way the receptacle is firmly anchored to the crutch at its lower end so that any possibility of swinging away from the crutch during operation is avoided.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, however, will in most cases be found entirely satisfactory.

What I claim is:

1. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross piece and a hand grip, said attachment comprising a receptacle, a pair of spaced hooks secured to the receptacle and constructed to engage over said hand grip, and a second pair of spaced hooks secured to the receptacle and constructed to engage around said rods at a point below said hand grip.

2. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross piece and a hand grip, said attachment comprising a receptacle, a pair of rigid bars secured at vertically spaced points to said receptacle and disposed transversely of said rods, a pair of arms extending upwardly from one of said bars and terminating in hooks constructed to engage over said hand grip, and a second pair of arms fixed to the other of said bars and terminating at their upper ends in hooks constructed to embrace said rods at a point below said hand grip.

3. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross piece and a hand grip, said attachment comprising a receptacle, a pair of rigid bars secured at vertically spaced points to said receptacle and disposed transversely of said rods, a pair of arms extending upwardly from one of said bars and terminating in hooks constructed to engage over said hand grip, and a second pair of arms fixed to the other of said bars, said other pair of arms having hooks at both the upper and lower ends thereof constructed to engage said rods at points below said hand grip.

4. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross piece and a hand grip, said attachment comprising a receptacle, a substantially horizontal bar secured to said receptacle at a point near its upper end, a U-shaped member fixed to said bar and terminating in hooks constructed to engage over said hand grip, and means near the lower end of said receptacle for anchoring the same to said rods.

5. An article carrying attachment for crutches of the type including a pair of convergent rods connected by a top cross piece and a hand grip, said attachment comprising a receptacle, means for suspending said receptacle directly from said hand grip, and a pair of horizontally spaced resilient hooks rigidly secured to said receptacle and constructed to embrace said rods at points below said 5 hand grip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 2,311,049 Hedden Feb. 16, 1943 2,423,635 Blum July 8, 1947 2,553,730 Taylor May 22, 1951 

